


Melt With You

by TheYellowTurtle



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Friendship, Light Angst, M/M, Parallel Universes, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-23
Updated: 2015-07-12
Packaged: 2018-03-31 20:06:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3991075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheYellowTurtle/pseuds/TheYellowTurtle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lu Han and Minseok meet each other for (what they think is) the first time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. world

**Author's Note:**

> Crossposted on my aff and tumblr. 
> 
> Constructive criticism is welcome :)
> 
> I need to edit this thing...eventually...

** Cycle 6: August 27, 2014**

_ Minseok _

 

It’s fucking hot outside. Everything is sweaty. My back, my forehead, my feet, my armpits, my palms and even in-between my fingers. Grumbling, I fan myself with the uniform t-shirt assigned to every sucker of an upperclassmen that volunteered to help out during orientation. Why did I do that? Surely moving into a room I was guaranteed to have was not worth this torture. 

And yet here I am sitting criss-cross applesauce in a circle with wide-eyed freshmen leading them through icebreakers. Half of them look like they’re still contemplating whether or not they can drop out and tell their parents, ‘maybe next year’ without being murdered or being the hot gossip of people in small towns looking for the next ‘unconventional’ teen to tear apart. 

“Minseok-hyung,” Jongdae grins, patting my thigh. 

Continuing my fanning, I meet his gaze with a sigh. 

He leans into my ear, a hand shielding his lips. “Hyung. We have a crier, can you take care of it?” He bats his thick lashes. 

I have no idea why people think I’m capable of being sympathetic in this weather, but I find myself nodding and heading over to where Joonmyun is patting a tall, blonde kid on the back. Blessedly, the coordinators bring people having mental breakdowns into the shade of the oak trees; something I’m in need of before I join them myself. 

When I’m within arm’s distance, Joonmyun beams at me over the kid’s shoulder. “Minseok, I’m glad you’re here. I need to go set up for the hula-hoop event.” He pats the blonde on the arm, looking at him like one would a puppy. “I’m gonna go now, Sehun. Minseok here will take care of you. Feel free to stay in the shade as long as you like; you can join in on the festivities whenever you’re ready!”

Dragging my feet to where I can actually see the kid face to face, I quickly introduce myself, “I’m Minseok.”

His red eyes widen for a moment before he breaks out into a fresh set of tears. He immediately begins to rub at the waterworks, his tall body shivering with his hyperventilating. 

Fuck. I swallow the lump in my throat. 

“Hey, umm,” I carefully pat his arm, trying to remember his name. He seems to understand my hesitance, though, and quickly provides a choked out, “Sehun.” 

“Sehun, umm, yeah,” the rubbing of his arms continues. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. How do you comfort first years having a melt down? “Umm…do you want some water?” He shakes his head, but the tears have stopped flowing. I watch as he rubs at his snotty nose before beginning to fan himself with his hands. He wiggles a bit from side to side, takes a deep breath and places his hands on hips likes he’s Wonder Woman. 

I find myself nodding in approval at the action. There’s been studies done that suggest that that pose increases confidence and calms nerves. Good job, first-year Sehun, you made me realize that I did learn something from Psych 101. 

However, it soon becomes apparent that both of us are shitty at talking to strangers and we enter a state of just glancing at each other before looking away and studying the trees, fellow students, the air, anything as long as it’s not each other. 

“H-hyung,” he mumbles, causing me to meet his shy gaze. His cheeks are flushed. “I think I can go back now.” He wiggles a bit, shifting his weight from side to side before tucking his hands into the pockets of his tight jeans. 

“Ok,” I wipe my sweaty palms on my shorts and take in his downcast eyes. “Umm, Sehun?”

He looks up again, licking his lips. 

“It’ll be ok…college isn’t that bad…it’s actually kinda great…umm…just don’t worry too much.” 

He nods, a little curl of a smile on his lips. 

I find myself mimicking the gesture. I guess my conversational skills haven’t completely gone to shit. 

 

** Cycle 6: August 28, 2014 **

_ Lu Han  _

 

The whirl of the AC is something I shouldn’t be able to hear. I should be so adjusted to the noises of the room that my brain doesn’t even give two flying fucks about the auditory stimulus of air conditioners, but no. 

Groaning, I shove my hands under the cool side of the pillow and kick the bed in some vain hope that it’ll cure the restlessness in my legs. It doesn’t.  

I flip onto my back and study the ceiling. Why has it been so hard to fall asleep lately? Before I would conk out as soon as my head hit the pillow, but recently it’s seems like sleep is striking against me. Everything is restless and jittery like I’m waiting for something to happen. Unfortunately, it appears that that thing isn’t sleep. 

Wait. Maybe happy thoughts will work. Happy, positive thoughts of positive things like... food. Yes, food. Food is love, food is life. I wish I had food. I haven’t been able to go shopping for snacks yet. Just wait a bit longer double stuffed Oreos on aisle four, Han will be coming for you soon. I won’t forget about you either, chocolate milk. Sweet, thick, creamy chocolate milk that is so good, yet not the best dietary option. Wait. Skim chocolate milk. Yus. Skim chocolate milk washing down the crumbs of two Oreos -because two is a good number that allows for a pack of Oreos to survive until there is enough time to purchase another. Oreos and-

Fuck. Now I’m hungry. 

Exhaling, I rub at my tired eyes. Hunger and insomnia. Fucking fantastic. 

When I close my eyes in another wishful attempt to fall asleep, a soft voice begins to resonate through the wall. It’s light and airy…and a bit pitchy at times…but it’s cooling, refreshing. I can’t make out the words or recognize the tune, but I find myself not caring; the melody of the voice is enough. 

Who lives next to me…it’s a guy…he was short...I think…I’ll find out tomorrow…or something...

  

** Cycle 6: August 31, 2014 **

_ Minseok _

 

People who know what they want are amazing. People who know what they want and aren’t afraid of pursuing it are even more amazing. People who are passionate are amazing. 

I lean back into the shower head. The spray is set halfway, neither cold nor warm. 

I need to figure out what the hell I’m doing with my life. I need to stop making my life a flat line in fear of it becoming a flat line. That thing where if you don’t truly care about something, then it can never hurt you. 

Stepping out of the spray, I run the white loofa over the planes of my body. 

Passionate people are lucky. 

I return to the water, spinning 360 degrees to make sure all of the body wash is rinsed off. The Sam Smith song playing on my phone comes to end when I turn the shower off. 

I wish I could feel that level of passion, maybe even craziness. The ability to splatter paint on the walls simply because I wanted to. No worries about the consequences or the aesthetic of the pattern created, just the act of throwing, flicking, creating and me. 

Pushing the white curtain to the side and kicking my shower caddy to the corner of the stall, I smile when I hear the beginning hymns of Queen B's “Flawless.” It’s kinda my jam. It is against my very being to not to sing along. Besides it’s 3 AM, no one else is awake to even walk in on me. 

_ I woke up like thissss._

I run the towel over my arms. 

_ We flawless, LADIES tell ‘em._

I bend over to get my legs. 

_ Say I~_

Left leg.

_ Look soooo good, tonight~_

Right leg. 

_ GOD DAMN, GOD DAMN!_

Abs. 

_ Say I~_

I wiggle my ass a bit as I shimmy the towel against my back.

_ Look soooooooo good, tonight~_

Tying the towel around my waist, I pick up the caddy and my phone; and unlatch the stall door. 

_ GOD DAMN, GOD DAMN._

At the sight of the grinning man in front of me, I let out a screech and press myself against the tiled wall of the stall. 

“WHAT THE FUCK?! WHAT. THE. FUCK. YOU SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF ME!” 

I’ve never been the best at first impressions, but I guess there’s always someone worse. My heart is palpitating as I attempt to slow my breathing. The guy in front of me seems to be about my age. His hair isn’t dyed, but it’s a bit curly or maybe just messy from a restless night. His face is a face, I guess. Nothing unpleasant about it besides the fact that he’s kinda looking at me like I was just standing outside his shower stall like a creep.  

The guy continues to stare at my face, before his jaw suddenly drops and he bellows, “Your voice is really nice!” 

What? Are you shitting me?

He flushes, taking a step back. “I didn’t mean to creep you out, but when I came in to take a piss, I heard you singing and it was just so good…I didn’t mean to stand here and wait for you to open the door! I was drawn by your voice like a moth to a flame... Wait. Shit. I’m bad at this.” He meets my gaze, nibbling on his lip. 

“Actually, you’re horrible at this,” I offer. His face drops at the words. “But thanks, I guess?” 

He beams at me, his eyes crinkling. “What’s your name?” he questions, practically shooting out rays of positivity.

“Kim Minseok…”

“I’m Lu Han!” he belts out, before adding, “I think I live in the room next to your’s.”

Oh yeah. Even if I don’t have a roommate this semester -good riddance to messy people. I love you, Jongdae, but fucking organize your shit once in awhile- I do still have hall mates. Yay..?

“Oh,” is what I manage to respond. 

Lu Han blinks at me for a few more seconds, his head tilted. “I’m gonna go now,” he straightens his back, “Good night! It was nice meeting you, Minseok!” He runs a hand through his hair. “I’m really sorry that I scared you…umm…bye!” 

I watch him scamper out of the room and then finally step out of the stall. 

The strangest shit always happens in the middle of the night. 

  

** Cycle 6: August 31, 2014 **

_ Lu Han  _

 

Has this guy’s sleeping schedule already gone to hell? Classes haven’t even started yet, but his bags are already nearing raccoon status. Maybe he has connections and crashed some of the frats…but who would tell a first-year before the ban preventing them from going to parties with alcohol is even lifted? Everybody saw what happened to SAE last year. Besides, how the hell would he get in without a plethora of females wrapped around him? And how would he be able to find a suitable ratio after only four days of being on campus? Maybe he is-

“What are we supposed to be doing?” Huang Zitao questions, ending my internal inquisition.

“Well, I’m going to be your student advisor for your first semester. It’s my job to make sure you’re settled in and have all your questions answered, Zitao,” I recite. Joonmyun would be proud of me. 

“Tao, I prefer to be called Tao,” he offers after taking a sip of his green tea frappuccino. 

“You can call me Han or ge, either is fine.” 

He nods and takes another slurp of his beverage. “What are you majoring in?” he asks, causing my eyes to widen. Usually the question is asked the other way around. 

“Biology with a minor in chemistry,” I supply, watching the way his brows furrow. 

“Wait. You’re majoring in nothing to do with humanities?” his mouth is agape. 

“Umm, yes?” What is up with this guy? “Do you perhaps have an interest in something like that? I could set up a meeting with a head of a department you’re interested in, if you want.”

He waves me off. “I’m undecided. I’ll figure out what major I like that’s near impossible to make money in later.” 

I almost choke on my chai latte. Tao sends me a pitying look.  

“That’s not necessarily true, Tao,” I start once I regain my bearings, “Honestly, just major in what makes you happy; don’t worry about the money aspect when choosing. You have the rest of your life to worry about money. Besides, you can fail in what you hate, so why not fail in doing what you love?”

He sets his empty cup on the side table, studying me while he plays with his black bangs. “Thanks,” he murmurs, head resting on his palm.  

 

** Cycle 6: September 2, 2014 **

_ Minseok _

 

I’m in the middle of cleaning my room when I hear a feral groan followed by a banging of a door. After leaning my beloved swiffer against the wall and turning down my DBSK playlist, I find myself peeking my head out into the hallway only to find none other than Lu Han. I guess he wasn’t lying when he said we lived in the rooms next to each other. I take in his solemn state; he’s tragically ruffling his dark hair as he bangs his head against the door. 

Seemingly sensing my presence, he lazily rolls his head to the side and offers a small grin. 

“Did you get locked out?” 

He nods, rubbing at his eyes. “My roommate is with his girlfriend and I don’t think he would appreciate me texting him at 1 AM to ask him to unlock the door. At least I have my swipe, but still I have to go get the spare key from campus police.” 

“Oh.” 

He plays with his bangs absentmindedly, before he suddenly starts to gape at me. “Is that 'Love in the Ice’?” he sequels, taking a step closer. 

Love in the ice? What is he talking about? Wait. Ohhhhhhhhhhhh. My playlist. I forgot it was still playing. 

“Umm yeah? Are you a fan?” I offer, feeling surprisingly friendly on this Monday night? Tuesday morning? and step out from behind the door.

“YES!” he shouts before remembering that it’s 1 AM and continues with a hushed whisper, “‘Love in the Ice’ is my all time favorite song from when they were all still together. What’s your favorite?”

“Umm…I’m gonna sound like a cliche little fuck, but I really like ‘Mirotic.’” His eyes seem to…sparkle? at my words; the guy is practically jumping in place. 

“There’s no shame in liking what you like, besides ‘Mirotic’ is a solid song. It’s sad that they’re no longer together, but at least they went out with a bang.” 

“It sucks that SM is a greedy bag of dicks; they haven’t had such a solid all-around group since them. DBSK isn’t something they can easily recreate.” 

He crosses his arms, nodding to himself. “I know what you mean. Honestly, if it was me, I think I’d sue, too. I’d be sick of not getting paid and the lack of medical care. What do you think you would do? If you were in that situation?” 

“Umm,” I lean against my door, crossing my arms as well, “I think I would just stay…?”

Lu Han blinks, waiting for me to continue. 

“Like I would be pissed at SM, but it would be a pain in the ass to leave…too much drama. In this hypothetical situation, I think I would stay and use the lawsuit as leverage to get myself into a better situation. Even though SM likes to pretend that the artists need them, for the case of DBSK, SM needs them.”

“Your voice is nice,” is what Lu Han ends up responding to my analysis with a dazed look in his eyes. Eventually he realizes what he just said, however, and immediately beings to blush. “Oh- Minseok- ummm, I’m sorry. But umm yeah, I totally get where you’re coming from! Umm…it’s just that your speaking voice is nice. Like it’s kinda high-pitched, but it has this soothing quality to it and it’s just nice hearing you talk.” 

Gaping, I reach out to lightly smack him on the arm. “What the fuck- stop saying stuff like that! You can’t get me all emoshinki and then compliment me on my voice!"

“You were getting those emoshinki vibes, too?!”

I give him a pointed look.

“Oh…I’m sorry. I usually just say what comes to mind,” he explains, nibbling on his lip. 

“Lu…”

“Han is fine,” he supplies. That sounds wrong, but whatever. 

"Han, don’t you have a key you need to go borrow at this late hour?” I raise a brow at him. His mouth drops, causing him to look like a little kid. 

“Oh shit! Yeah, umm, bye! See you later, Minseok!” he says before taking off down the hall. I find myself staring at the spot he was standing before retreating back into my room. My playlist has ended, so I close the laptop. 

Lu Han…is a passionate person. 

 

** Cycle 6: September 3, 2014 **

_ Lu Han  _

 

Noooooooooooo. Nooooooooooooooooooooo. Don’t you fucking dare, anus! Don’t you dare. You are forbidden from having stinky shits when on campus. And those shits where you blow gas? Hell to the fucking no. One does not simply live down that moment where you rip a big one when taking a shit. We live in a world where people cannot take a shit without being compared to all the other moments when shits have been delivered to their watery grave without the accompaniment of a fart. 

I scroll down the feed on instagram, trying to distract myself from the excruciating agony- the excruciating excretion- of trying not to fart AND push out whatever rock hard shit is the result of constipation. Fucking cafeteria food. Why do they even try to make Mexican food? Why do I even eat it when I know there’s nothing, but torture ahead of me?

And fucking Kim Minseok. Wait. Pleasant Kim Minseok, just had to walk in to take a piss in the stall next to mine. Fucking why? WHY?!

I wipe away the sweat beading on my forehead and internally cheer to myself when part of the maleficent poop breaks off into the toilet with a plop. I’m almost done. I can do this. Besides, what are the chances that Minseok will recognize me as the person in the stall next to him? It’s not like there is any indication of who I am besides my shoes; and who the hell remembers the shoes of people they met a few days ago? I don’t even do that. I recognized Minseok by his cute little humming when he walked into the bathroom. 

“Han?” Minseok calls, “Is that you?"

Well, fuck me. 

“Yeah?” I respond, clenching my anus to make sure nothing escapes. 

“Oh! I was right. I recognized your shoes.” 

What.

“I think I read on yik yak or somewhere that the first thing you notice about a person is their shoes,” he offers. 

He knows what my shoes look like! AND he’s talking to me! A breakthrough! We must have bonded over our Cassie membership! And we have said hello to each other the few times we’ve run into one another on campus! Wait, no no no no no no. Minseok, why must you come out of your shell when I have shit farts to hold in?

I hum and try to distract myself with the sound of his tinkling. 

“Han?” he pauses for a moment, “Do you have a nickname or something? Your name…for some reason it just doesn’t sound right.” 

“You could call me Lu-ge,” I suggest. My nails bite into my palm as I try to gently poop with no sound effects. 

“Lu-ge, Lu-ge, Lu-ge,” he says it a few times, testing it out on his lips. I find myself grinning; it sounds so nice when he says it. 

“I like it,” he adds and at the moment everything goes to hell. A massive, squelching fart erupts from the depths of my intestines along with the rest of the maleficent poop.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I burry my face into my hands. Fuck. Fuckity fucking fuckers fuck fucking fucks. Just- nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! NO! NO! NO! NO! Something have mercy on my soul and please take me out of this misery. 

I can hear Minseok zip up his pants and exit the stall over the racing of my heart. I exhale when I hear the faucet turn on. Maybe he’s just gonna pretend that didn’t happen? Maybe? 

After wiping my butt and pulling up my boxers and jeans, I tentatively push open the door and make my way towards the sink. Minseok is still there washing his hands. I take in the tight, dark wash jeans highlighting his strong thighs, the loose teal sweatshirt hanging off his shoulders, and the adorable apple bun. He must have been studying beforehand; I like to pull my hair up the same way to prevent it from falling in my eyes. 

I turn on the faucet, adjusting the knobs so the water doesn’t burn the skin off my hands nor give them an ice bath. I reach over to get some soap when my hand collides with his. Cringing, I glance over at Minseok, only to meet his gaze. He’s biting his lip and his shoulders are shaking. 

My face burns red when his facade finally cracks and he begins to let out a bellowing laugh. He rests against the counter, his gummy smile showing as he gasps for more air between laughs. 

“I’m s-sorry,” he chokes out, wiping at his teary eyes, “B-but I just wasn’t e-expecting that to happen. It-it was just like-like  I don’t even know.” 

Shaking my head at him, I return to the task of sanitizing my heads. “I’m not talking to you,” I grumble. 

“I’m sorry, Lu-ge, I won’t make fun of your bathroom problems again,” he sings, drying off his hands on his jeans. The dryers in the bathroom are never strong enough to get the job done. 

“Constipation is perfectly normal after eating the cafeteria's Mexican food!” I snap. 

“If you say so,” Minseok smirks, doing this glorious thing with his eyebrow. 

Damn it. Stop being adorable Kim Minseok. 

 

** Cycle 6: September 5, 2014 **

_ Minseok  _

 

The next time I see Lu Han, or Lu-ge as he likes to be called, he’s dragging his feet out of his room at eight in the morning. His hair is a big puffy mess and his eyes are still crusted from the night’s sleep. 

“Good morning,” I call, causing him to flinch before looking up. 

“Oh, good morning, Minseok,” he says, rubbing at his eyes, “Where are you headed?” 

“I was gonna head over to the cafe probably, I have to finish annotating a reading before my 10 o’clock class,” I shrug. 

“Wanna go to the Commons together? I really need some caffeine in my system right now.” 

“You like coffee?” Most of the people I know prefer tea. Only Jongdae will occasionally accompany me to the campus’s coffee shop. Maybe Lu Han would be willing to go with me again the future. It’s not that much effort to knock on his door and he's not that bad of company. Sure, it was creepy how we first met, but there’s something endearing about him. 

“I like being awake for my classes, so yeah.” He pushes the door open and we step out into the dewy air of the morning. 

“How many hours of sleep did you get last night?” 

He shoves his hands into his pockets and tilts his head to the side. “I think…five? Maybe six?”

Applauding, I nudge him with my shoulder. “That’s not bad! It’s not three hours and you probably had some REM sleep in there somewhere. Woo!”

“Yay!” he cheers with the enthusiasm only a sleep-deprived college student can and slides an arm around my shoulders. Well, that’s new. It’s not really unwelcome though, so whatever. 

“Let’s go, Lu-ge! I hear coffee is good for constipation!” 

His embarrassed groans are music to my ears. 

 

 


	2. the

** Cycle 6: September 8, 2014 **

_ Lu Han  _

 

The new volunteer at the shelter was very similar to the animals he was caring for. His face was set in a seemingly permanent frown, but his eyes crinkled into a smile when one of the cats rubbed up against his leg or pressed into the open palm of his hand. If you put some cat ears on Oh Sehun, he would fit right in with the fellow feline of the Cat Room. 

The Cat Room was the shining accomplishment of my college campus participation. Sure, I attended college sponsored events, tutored on the weekends and participated in the leadership program among other things, but the Cat Room; the Cat Room was the type of thing you bragged about in interviews. What can little ole’ me bring to the college? The end of the discrimination faced by cats on campus, motherfucker.

It was egregious: the lack of cat-loving on campus before I arrived. During finals week, there would always be a Dog Day. Every Joe Schmo in town would bring their dogs to the field across the cafeteria and let sleep-deprived, caffeine-running, stressed-out college students play with them. 

It was disgusting.

Now don’t get me wrong. Dogs are nice…occasionally… and lots of people like them and I’m all for those people -that like dogs- to play with dogs and get that oxytocin pumping. That’s great for them! For dog-lovers! However, what about the cat lovers? What about them? Hmm?

There are people in this world that prefer cats. That prefer to cuddle with a creature that does not give a single flying fuck about them. A creature that does not blindly trust hairless mammals that walk on two legs. A creature who’s trust you have to earn. 

Cats were classy beings and by far superior to dogs. 

Thus it was I, Lu Han protecter of cats, that set up the proposal for a Cat Room on campus and got to see it come to life during my junior year. The college is now a better place. One where students can sit in a room with cats and do whatever they please. It’s a liberating experience.

Anyway, Sehun was recently assigned to work at the Cat Room as part of his student financial plan (the college allowed students to do work studies as a way to decrease the amount owed for their tuition). He was a decent worker. He changed the kitty litter when he needed to and just kept to himself the rest of the time. 

Which is part of the reason why it was so bizarre when he suddenly comes over and stands by my shoulder as he waits for me to finish giving medicine to one of the older cats. 

“What’s up?” I question, stroking the orange tabby’s back in apology. 

He crouches down beside me, his fingers fiddling with the rips in his light wash jeans. “Do you know Minseok-hyung?” he opens with a lick of his lips. 

“Yeah, I guess you could say we’re friends. We’ve been getting coffee together lately.” I grin to myself at the thought of Minseok. Sure, he teases me about the bathroom incident, but there’s something about him that’s electrifying, that draws me to him. The stress always seems to melt away when we’re together. 

“He’s my student advisor,” Sehun offers, reaching down to pet the tabby as well, I hum at his response. We sit there for a moment with the accompaniment of the tabby’s purring 

“Why-“ I begin, before Sehun’s pinky strokes the side of my hand, causing him to flinch away as if he had been burned. 

Turning to him, I take in his wide panicked eyes that appear for a moment before dissolving into his usual stoic expression. 

“Are you ok?” 

He sighs, running a hand through his dyed blond locks. “I’m fine. I was just spacing-out, so I was kinda surprised.”

I nod at his words and reach out to offer a comforting ruffle of his hair. He stares at me for a moment before leaning his head into my palm like a cat would. I smile at the slight blush painting his cheeks. 

He’s adorable. 

  

** Cycle 6: September 11, 2014 **

_ Minseok _

 

I can never tell if Lu Han is checking me out or spacing out. He frequently gets this glassy look in his eyes and his mouth sorta just hangs open in invitation for any nearby flies. 

It’s flattering in a way, that he thinks whatever I’m saying is something so enthralling that he can forget he is capable of controlling the movements of his jaw. It’s a warm, simmering feeling when you realize someone actually gives a shit about what you think and do. 

However, sometimes his devotion to my being can be distracting, like right now: on a Thursday night when I’m stuck in the library trying to finish my math set. I only have one problem left to check over, but the glances he sends me between rounds of playing his Rubik’s cube (the fucker can solve the thing in under a minute, so the glances are quite frequent) seem to burn into my skin. 

I prefer to complete math equations without the sensation of sweaty palms, but Lu Han’s presence is making that impossible. Not to mention, that the knowledge that I’m missing bingo night weighs on my shoulders. 

I’m well aware that bingo is seen as this thing for old folks, but bingo night is the shit on campus; the activities board goes all out with the prizes.  Gift certificates for airlines, luggage sets, blenders, TVs, playdoh and just about anything a college student could  ever need. I won a set of frying pans once when I was a sophomore. I never knew I wanted frying pans, but once something is handed to you for free, it suddenly becomes a lot more appealing. Honestly, I never used the pans, but it’s a comfort knowing that I have them at my disposal in case they are needed in place of a weapon.  

I have yet to relive my glorious stroke of luck from sophomore year, but there’s no harm in trying. Besides, bingo night is one of the funner events on campus. There’s sometimes even free wings (those momentous bingo nights are dubbed wingos). 

Overall, it sucks that I’m stuck here doing a math set when I could be fooling myself into thinking I could actually win something. To make matters worse, Lu Han adamantly refused to leave and meet up with Jongdae and Yixing (who apparently knew each other) for bingo night. He instead opted to stay with me agonizing over numbers. 

“Minseok?” he whispers, as I begin to punch some numbers into my calculator. 

“Yeah,” I hum, jotting down the answer on the margins of my notebook. 

“You can do it,” he beams as he leans forward and pats my shoulder. 

Returning the smile, I resume my work, only to be distracted by the lack of removal of his hand from my shoulder. Instead, he appears to be entranced as he trails his fingers down from my shoulders to my biceps. I gasp when he tentatively squeezes. 

“Lu-ge?”

“Yeah,” he murmurs, eyes focussed on my arm. 

“Your hand is feeling up my biceps." 

He removes his hand and meets my stare. “Minseok,” he begins. 

“Yeah?”

“Your arms really toned. Like I had no idea you had that much muscle mass. You don’t really wear tight clothes, so it’s hard to tell  from a distance, but your arms. Bro, your arms are really nice,” he finishes, crossing his arms and nodding in approval. 

“Did you just bro me?” I raise a brow, tapping a pencil against my notebook. 

“Maybe I did, bro,” he responds, his face scrunching up in amusement. 

“I’m not sure how I feel about that, Lu-ge bro.”

“Bro, ge means brother in Chinese.” 

“Bro. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize. No offense towards your culture, bro.”

“No offense taken, bro.”

“Are we gonna keep doing this, bro?”

“I don’t know, bro. We should do something to switch things up, bro.”

“Great idea, bro. What awesome idea do you have in mind, bro?”

“I felt up your arms, so check my legs, bro,” Lu Han offers, before lifting up and plopping his leg in my lap. “Feel it, bro,” he grins, “I have toned thighs.”

Biting down on my lip to keep from laughing, I slowly reach out and squeeze and- oh.

Oh. 

His thighs are indeed nicely toned. 

“Your thighs are nice, bro,” I inform him with a nod of the head. I try not to keep eye contact for too long; this is a game (?) I’m enjoying and I don’t plan on being the loser when Lu Han is the master of losing his shit. 

“Thanks, bro,” he replies with a brow raise. 

Yes! He’s getting cocky. Time to finish him. 

“Bro,” I sing, leaning forward and sliding his leg off my lap, “I got something even better to show you.” 

His eyes narrow in puzzlement, but soon begin to widen when I play with the bottom of my sweatshirt. It’s with a smirk, that I lift it up enough to show the chiseled abdomen underneath. The action is met with a sharp inhale. 

I am definitely the winner of this game. 

A snort erupts from me when I take in the bamboozled look on Lu Han’s face. Chuckling, I wave in front of his eyes to bring him back to reality. 

Eventually he snaps out of it with a shake of the head and studies me with a pout. “That’s not fair,” he declares. 

“Yes, it is,” I perfunctorily counter. 

Instead of whining, however, he just gives me a gentle smile. “Are you less stressed now? You looked so tense earlier. 

It feels like he dumped a bucket of ice water on me. It never even crossed my mind that our game had any ulterior motives. Lu Han, you smooth fucker. 

“Thanks,” I eventually respond, “It helped a lot.” 

He just shakes his head, drawing my attention to his fluffy hair; it looks soft. “You’d do the same,” he murmurs with a dazed look, before meeting my stare, “I’m gonna go get us some coffee. Just keep working on your set.”

Before he can stand up and leave, I latch onto his sleeve. “Thanks Lu-ge, I appreciate it.”

He simply smiles in return. 

 

 

** Cycle 6: September 12, 2014 **

_ Lu Han  _

 

It’s a well-known fact on campus that the third Friday of the Fall semester was the day freshmen were officially allowed into events with alcohol - AKA: frats. 

Thus it is also widespread knowledge that there will be a surplus of drunk freshmen -mostly female considering frats’ guy to girl ratio- that are testing the boundaries of their alcohol tolerance. It’s fucking nuts. And sweaty. Very sweaty. Frats are not meant to be that crowded in the remnants of summer. 

So it can be said that I was expecting my skinny jeans to be sticking to my thighs and for the soles of my shoes to be splattered in booze. However, I was not expecting to have a shit-faced Sehun clinging to my shoulder for balance. That was definitely not in the plans for tonight. 

Even more so, dragging a wasted Sehun back to his dorm was most definitely not in my plans. As soon as the kid had latched onto me around 1 AM and I took in his flushed face and wobbly knees, I knew it was better safe than sorry to just bring him back to his room. He was done for the night. 

And so here I am after saying farewell to Yixing, his girlfriend, and the beer I was nursing; trying to make sure teetering Sehun doesn’t fall on his face. He’s making it difficult, for Sehun is unfortunately an emotional drunk. 

“Minseok is mean,” he cries as I catch him from tripping over a crack in the sidewalk.

Despite the knowledge he is drunk, the statement has me aghast. “What are you talking about? Minseok is wonderful.”

“Nooooooo,” Sehun hiccups, “He’s meaannnnn. He’s a picky people person.”

I can only sigh at his ramblings. “Sehun, that’s nice and all, but I need you to tell me what dorm you live in.” We’re nearing the freshmen block and it would be fantastic if I could deposit him into the correct building and room. 

He stumbles with a gasp and I tighten my grip on his waist. “C’mon Sehun, help me out here,” I groan. 

“My dorm…my dorm,” he slurs, “Lululululu Hanie Han, I’ll tell you if you come up to my room. I do NOT have a roommate,” he attempts to whisper into my ear, but mainly succeeds in blowing stank breath into my face. 

“Sehun. I have to go up to your room to make sure you get there. You’re too drunk to climb stairs.” 

“NO!” he shouts, “You have to come up to my room, so I can suck your dick and we can form a closer bond.”

Fuck my life.

“Umm that will not be happening, Sehun, like ever,” I state. 

And that is when he begins to cry, as in snot is coming out of his nose cry.

“Y-you and Minseok are mean! Minseokie is an asshole… he never even told me his real name! He always made me call him Xiumin and then he left before I could figure out his real name.”

What.

“Why are you with him, Lu Han? You…you and him are not supposed to be together. I promised I would find him and Tao was looking for you, BUT you’re not supposed to be together!”

The fuck. 

With furrowed brows, I can only rub his back in, hopefully, soothing circles. “Sehun, you’re drunk right now. You need to drink some water and go to sleep, ok? You’ll feel better once you tell me where you live, so we can get there quicker.”

He looks up at me with a sniffle, his grip tightening on my arm. “I live in C,” he finally supplies. 

“Thank you, Sehun.” 

Thankfully, he’s rather somber after his emotional outburst and others that are returning to the dorm as well hold the door open for us (finding and using Sehun’s swipe would be a whole new breed of trouble). Maneuvering him up the stairs is a bit difficult, but eventually I have him laying comfortably in his plain navy sheets, which he soon rolls himself into to. The room is oddly bare, but I guess he hasn’t had enough time to accumulate posters and other knick-knacks. 

“I’m gonna go now, Sehun,” I inform the breathing burrito. 

His eyes open slightly, peering out from his cocoon. “Please don’t take him,” he whispers. 

“I promise,” I reply, despite not exactly knowing whom him is; I have a hunch. 

I shut the door behind me gently. 

 

** Cycle 6: September 13, 2014 **

_ Sehun  _

 

Tao is there with some advil and a bottle of water when I wake up. Despite the seemingly friendly gesture, I can tell he’s pissed. I went ahead with my own plan, despite the group decision that it was a shitty plan. 

He’s sitting at my desk, his legs crossed and his eyes narrowed at me, as he waits for me to finish the medicine. I’m thankful for that, my head is fucking killing me. I’m never drinking that much ever again. 

“Why did you do that? I thought we decided that “seducing” Lu Han was a terrible idea,” he practically growls. The tone is grating even though I know it’s well-deserved. 

“Well, nothing, nothing was being accomplished. We only have until October 10th, in case you forgot,” I scoff. It’s frustrating. I try to be proactive and I fuck everything up. 

Tao shakes his head. “Getting close to Lu Han or trying to suck his dick or whatever isn’t the right way of going about things. You shouldn’t pretend to like someone; it’s just going to hurt a lot of people at the end of it all.”

I grit my teeth. “Someone had to do something. Maybe I’m tired of having no control and want to take things into my own hands. Maybe I’m finally gaining the courage to do something instead of just wallowing around. Maybe, unlike you, I’m brave enough to face my fears.” I know I should shut up, but I can’t stop myself. I’ve let my frustration pent up for too long.  

“You’re just a scared shitless, whiny little baby, Tao.”

Tao glares at me and I force myself to return it even as I watch the tears slowly form in his eyes. His shoulders are tense and he’s biting his lip in attempt to hold back... his tears, a comeback, both; I wouldn’t know.  

He doesn’t say anything. Instead he abruptly stands up from the chair, sends me a final hurt glare and slams the door shut behind him. 

I watch the necklaces on the door handle swing back and forth from the force until they slowly come to a stop. 

I fucked up. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i need to edit things more... haha~


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